Fingerprinting the Origin of Fluvial Suspended Sediment in Larger River Basins: Combining Assessment of Spatial Provenance and Source Type

Investigation of the potential for using sediment fingerprinting to integrate both spatial provenance and source type information for larger drainage basins appears to be desirable. This contribution presents the results of adopting a composite fingerprinting procedure incorporating statistically verified multicomponent signatures and a multivariate mixing model to provide a preliminary integration of spatial provenance and source type information for the upper and middle reaches of the drainage basins of the Rivers Exe (601 km²) and Severn (4325 km²), UK. A nested approach is employed, whereby spatial provenance is addressed in terms of the distinct sub-basin zones constituting each study area as an entirety, and source type is then characterised within each of these distinct spatial zones in terms of surface (woodland, pasture, cultivated) and subsurface (channel bank) materials. The results demonstrate that the fingerprinting approach possesses considerable potential for integrating spatial provenance and source type information, and hence for improving the resolution of existing sediment source information for larger drainage basins.     

Shock metamorphic history of >4 Ga Apollo 14 and 15 zircons

During impact events, zircons develop a wide range of shock metamorphic features that depend on the pressure and temperature conditions experienced by the zircon. These conditions vary with original distance from impact center and whether the zircon grains are incorporated into ejecta or remain within the target crust. We have employed the range of shock metamorphic features preserved in >4 Ga lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14 and 15 breccias and soils in order to gain insights into the impact shock histories of these areas of the Moon. We report microstructural characteristics of 31 zircons analyzed using electron beam methods including electron backscatter pattern (EBSP) and diffraction (EBSD). The major results of this survey are as follows. (1) The abundance of curviplanar features hosting secondary impact melt inclusions suggests that most of the zircons have experienced shock pressures between 3 and 20 GPa; (2) the scarcity of recrystallization or decomposition textures and the absence of the high‐pressure polymorph, reidite, suggests that few grains have been shocked to over 40 GPa or heated above 1000 °C in ejecta settings; (3) one grain exhibits narrow, arc‐shaped bands of twinned zircon, which map out as spherical shells, and represent a novel shock microstructure. Overall, most of the Apollo 14 and 15 zircons exhibit shock features similar to those of terrestrial zircon grains originating from continental crust below large (~200 km) impact craters (e.g., Vredefort impact basin), suggesting derivation from central uplifts or uplifted rims of large basins or craters on the Moon and not high‐temperature and ‐pressure ejecta deposits.     

Alpha thermochronology of carbonates

Step-heating experiments on 17 calcites from 11 different samples and 6 dolomites from 5 samples suggest a closure temperature of He in carbonates ∼70 ± 10 °C for a cooling rate of 10 °C/m.y. The bulk closure temperature in some samples may tend slightly higher due to the presence of diffusion domains larger (and therefore more retentive) than the sites in which the majority of He resides. The diffusivity of He in calcite is independent of the genesis of the mineral (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) or the source of the He (radiogenic, common, or laboratory induced) and in all samples analyzed the effective diffusion dimension for He is smaller than the size of the crystals investigated. Although calcite is a low-U mineral, this shortcoming can be overcome by analyzing large samples (>2 mm diameter) provided samples have a minimum of ∼0.3 ppm U; samples with smaller concentrations of alpha-producers are unlikely to produce enough radiogenic ⁴He sufficient to overwhelm He present in the crystals at the time they passed through their closure temperature.     

Shock‐induced changes in density and porosity in shock‐metamorphosed crystalline rocks,Haughton impact structure,Canada

Abstract– Shock metamorphism can occur at transient pressures that reach tens of GPa and well over 1000 °C, altering the target material on both megascopic and microscopic scales. This study explores the effects of shock metamorphism on crystalline, quartzofeldspathic basement material from the Haughton impact structure on Devon Island, Arctic Canada. Shock levels were assigned to samples based on petrographic examination of main mineral phases. Conventional shock classification schemes proved to incompletely describe the Haughton samples so a modified shock classification system is presented. Fifty‐two crystalline bedrock samples from the clast‐rich impact melt rocks in the crater, and one reference site outside of the crater, were classified using this system. The shock levels range from 0 to 7 (according to the new shock stage classification proposed here, i.e., stages 0–IV after the Stöffler classification), indicating shock pressures ranging from 0 to approximately 80 GPa. The second aspect of this study involved measuring bulk physical characteristics of the shocked samples. The bulk density, grain density, and porosity were determined using a water displacement method, a bead displacement method, and a Hepycnometer. Results suggest a nonlinear, negative correlation between density and shock level such that densities of crystalline rocks with original densities of approximately 3 g cm^?3 are reduced to <1.0 g cm^?3 at high shock levels. The results also show a positive nonlinear correlation between porosity and shock level. These data illustrate the effect of shock on the bulk physical characteristics of crystalline rocks, and has implications for assessing the habitability of shocked rocks.     

Use of multivariate statistical methods in data-base maintenance

Multivariate statistical methods may be used to enhance large data bases by predicting missing information and verifying unchecked data vectors. In addition, new techniques may be used for exploratory purposes to investigate the interrelationships between variables. The techniques are being applied successfully in coal mining.     

Static Reservoir Modeling of the Eocene Clastic Reservoirs in the Q-Field,Niger Delta,Nigeria

Natural Resources Research - This work integrates seismic and well log data to establish a 3D reservoir model of the Q-Field, which is a prolific onshore hydrocarbon field situated in the Central...     

Deep earth electrical conductivity-depth profiles around African geomagnetic equator using solar quiet currents

Electrical conductivity structure of the Earth’s deep interior has been successfully mapped out down to approximately 1500 km around the geomagnetic dip equatorial regions of Africa using solar quiet-day ionospheric currents. Spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) was employed in separating the internal and external field contributions to the solar quiet variations. Transfer function was used for each of the external and internal pairs to compute the conductivity-depth profile for the region. Calculated average electrical conductivity values were evidently higher than obtained in other parts of the world farther away from the geomagnetic equator. Sq current vortex foci are observed very close to the geomagnetic equator. Depth of penetration was greatly enhanced. Stations on latitudes less than 1° from the geomagnetic equator show higher electrical conductivity when compared with that situated more than 4° away from it at various corresponding depths. Evidence of discontinuities in the earth layers were also noted at some depths. Highly conductive layers were delineated around 400 km depth and beyond 1200 km.     

An investigation of soil erosion and redistribution in a Mediterranean lowland agricultural catchment using caesium-137

This study sought to contribute to an improved understanding of soil erosion and redistribution on Mediterranean agricultural land, where traditional soil conservation practices have been applied over millennia to provide effective protection of cultivated land. The study was undertaken in the Na Borges catchment, a groundwater-dominated lowland limestone basin (319 km2), located in the northeastern part of Mallorca, Spain. The average sediment yield from the basin, based on river sediment load data, is 1 t/km2·yr. The 137Cs technique was used to quantify soil redistribution rates over the past 40 years and to identify the key factors involved in soil erosion and redistribution processes. To estimate erosion and deposition rates and to elucidate the main factors affecting soil redistribution, samples were collected from six slope transects representative of the local land use and slope gradients and the presence or absence of soil conservation practices. A mass balance and a profile distribution conversion model were used for cultivated areas and areas of natural vegetation, respectively, to derive point estimates of the soil redistribution rates from the 137Cs inventories measured for individual soil bulk cores. In areas without soil conservation practices, the estimated mean soil erosion rates ranged from 12.7 to 26.4 t/ha·yr, which correspond to the slight and moderate erosion classes. The erosivity of Mediterranean climatic conditions combined with the influence of agricultural practices and slope gradient on soil erosion, represent the main factors responsible for the variation of soil losses documented for the cultivated land located in downslope areas, in the absence of soil conservation practices. Deposition dominated for those transects affected by soil conservation practices, with rates ranging between 18.8 and 96.6 t/ha·yr. However, this situation does not mean that soil conservation measures retain all the sediment, but rather that agriculture and urbanization (i.e. new rural paths and stone boundaries) modified the micro-topography and diverted sediment from other upslope zones towards the slopes where sampling transects were located.